Step It Up
by night-rainbow27
Summary: #9. What happens in Demon World Tournament as Iris faces one of Raizen's friends? Two-shot.
1. First Round

**Disclaimer**: Heh heh, i forgot to add it anitially, lol. *clears throat then starts talking as if reading from piece of paper something she's read dozens of times before* I do not own the characters of Yu Yu Hakusho. I do now own anything form this story save for the plot (or better yet, the fighting moves) and my OCs.

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Iris's POV

"Well at last, we can begin this tournament," I heard Koto say, "We have divided the 128 winners of the preliminary matches into 8 groups. Each group holds battles according to the tournament rules, until the elimination leaves only two fighters. Victory is decided in the same fashion as earlier. The battle is over when the opponent surrenders or is no longer capable of fighting."

*****

Before I knew it, sooner than I expected, my name was announced by Koto against somebody else that I didn't know.

I looked at Kurama the briefest moment, and I saw he was suddenly tense, his hands that were folded so neatly on his knee were balled into fists now. I smiled at him briefly and he returned it, though I could tell it was strained. I wanted to light up the mood, not wanting him to be worried about me, so I punched my fist in my fishnet-gloved hand and said, "Time to kick some ass."

He chuckled the tiniest bit and I was glad I did even that much. "Good luck," he said, his green eyes watching me warily still.

I nodded and walked away, feeling oddly tense and excited in anticipation of my next fight. Most of my friends, beside Yusuke – who won – and Touya – who lost – haven't fought yet.

I was so lost in thought, I felt more like I woke up and I found myself at the arena against the demon, instead of me walking there purposely. The demon was unfamiliar to me, looking almost human, the only thing weird about him being a lizard-looking nose, his pupils in golden slits and a lizard tail.

I took my usual defensive pose and watched him as he took a pose of his own and we both waited for the signal.

"Let the match begin!" a voice said, but I didn't bother to look from where it came from because I had to pay attention. We stayed like that for an immeasurable amount of time. I could see Koto in my mind getting annoyed at our stare-down and urging us to throw some punches and spill some blood and guts.

Then, out of the blue, the demon said, "Hmmm…what is a _human_ doing in Demon World, fighting for total power?"

The question took me by surprise, and I regarded him curiously at how he said the word 'human.' It didn't sound resentful, but more…awed than anything else. "That," I said, "Is none of your business."

He chuckled silently, but didn't comment on that. Instead, he asked me yet another question. "You're friends with Raizen's heir? Yusuke Urameshi?" He made the slightest step to the right, and I matched his with an identical one to the left, keeping the distance between us.

The question took me by surprise, but I recovered quickly. "Yes, we're good friends," I answered sincerely, though I didn't know where this will lead.

He pondered the slightest bit. "I was good friends with Raizen too. We used to get in many fights over smallest things, but really, those were just mere reasons for something we were both looking for: a good fight. I loved to fight against Raizen, though I never defeated him and swore that I will train enough to do so. But now I am too late, because Raizen is dead," he paused and I felt a little unnerved by this demon's sudden openness to me, a stranger, after all. He continued, "But this Urameshi kid seems worthy of being Raizen's heir. He may not be as strong as Raizen is, yet," he added, "But he's worthy all right. Defeating him won't be the same as defeating Raizen himself, but I will gladly settle for the person who has Raizen's blood running through their veins."

He took two other deliberate steps to the right and I followed suit with two steps to the left. His golden slits watched me closely. I didn't say a single word to that, so he continued, in the same melancholic tone. "So, of course, to get to Urameshi, I will have to go through you." Right as he said it, I realized that's where he was going all along. It was some sort of a pep talk he gave me before we started fighting.

Even though I was angered by his self-confidence, I was relieved that he was Raizen's friend. Being Raizen's friend, he would follow Raizen's heir's wish to continue this tournament even if he wins. Not only that, but I found out enough about Raizen – by going through Yusuke's mind, without his permission, of course – to know that his friends were the good guys here.

I was glad he gave me the pep talk now. I wasn't feeling so tense for this fight after all. If I lost, it wouldn't be like the wrong person would go forward in the tournament and get closer to winning the position King of Demon World.

I grinned at him, and he grinned back, wide enough for me to see two pairs of very long fangs. We were both on the same page, more or less. He crouched low and his tongue made a hissing sound. He looked more like a lizard then than he looked the entire time we were facing each other. "Ready?"

"Lay it one me," I answered, my muscles tensing automatically to the feel of the fight, though I wasn't worried or scared personally. I decided not to even try my psychological powers to enter in his mind; I had a strong desire to fight just with my fists and my Spirit Energy for once.

A short moment passed, when the demon disappeared in a red blur because of his Demon Energy, coming toward me. I charged back at him, running at full speed right back and letting my Spirit Energy flow through my veins as we clashed against each other in the middle. We were both throwing punches and kicks at each other, as we tried to dodge each other's at the same time. Some got through, some got blocked, on both sides. He stepped back a bit, flexed his fingers, making sharp, deadly nails appear on each of his fingers as he charged back. I was too slow and blocked just his left hand as his left took a full swing at my arm, leaving four deep cuts that were searing with blood behind. It stung, but not enough to stop me.

He grinned that he got me wounded, but I wasn't done yet. I jumped in the air and gave him a kick right in the face, making him back off a few feet. Before he could recover, I took some of my Spirit Energy, concentrated it in my fist and I punched him as hard as I could in the jaw. I didn't want to leave him any time to fight back so I continued attacking him with a full stream or kicks and punches, all intensified by my Spirit Energy. I had to admit, I learned quite a few tricks from seeing Yusuke fight.

My last punch got him to the floor so I waited if he was going to get up or stay there. He didn't get up for a little while and I thought, _If you can't defeat me, you don't stand the slightest chance against Yusuke_. Not to mention I was disappointed. This guy said that he used to fight against Raizen, I expected him to be very powerful.

Luna made a distinct sound that was a mix between a groan and a hiss and I looked closer at the demon.

He did get up and I got excited again. He did so slowly, with his back turned to me and when he turned around, I saw that he was grinning. He wiped away the streak of blood from his jaw with the back of his hand and chuckled. "You're stronger than I initially gave you credit," he noted and he seemed pleased by the fact. "I will have to step it up a little bit."

He draw himself to his full height and started glowing red, the color getting more and more intensified as his Demon Energy exploded and a blast of Demon Energy seared around him like a flame few dozen feet high. The air around us seemed to feed off of it because wind picked up and whirled my hair around my face violently.

"Holy crap…" I whispered in awe, my eyes widening then I grinned. _Wish freaking _granted. I ran my fingers though my hair to get it out of my face and watched the demon closely to see what he will do. Then I had a sudden feeling of déjà-vu as I remembered that evening, not very long ago, as I saw a smiliar explosion of Demon Energy in the distance. Could he have been one of the demons there? If so, could they all have been old friends of Raizen's who came to leave their regards at the great king's tomb?

_Iris!_ Luna practically screamed in what seemed like panic in my head, _Pay attention!_

I didn't have time to figure out what she was talking about, because he charged at me again. I was taken by surprise, as he manipulated his energy into small spheres, making them all attack me at once. Pain searched through me as they all collided at once with my body. I screamed, without even realizing I did until the sound was already out from my lips, cursing myself for not paying attention and letting my guard down.

I staggered back against the blow, falling on my knees despite my best efforts to stay up, feeling pain all throughout my body and blood trickling down my arms, my fingers and on the ground. That was when I realized I had my eyes closed and I opened them to inspect the damage. One on my leg, two on my turso, and two on each arm and they all bled.

_Can you go on?_ Luna asked me in a strained voice and I knew she wanted to take over.

_I still got plenty of energy left, don't worry_, I assured her. I didn't want to give up on this fight just yet. Luna didn't seem convinced, but she remained quiet. It's not like she could do anything about it anyway. She couldn't change without my consent, unless I was knocked out.

"Do you surrender?" he asked me, as if not wanting to go on more unless I chose to.

"Hell no," I answered and I grinned at him. He surprised me by grinning back.

My entire body hurt so bad, I have never felt pain like this ever before in my life, but instead of dropping to the ground, I gritted my teeth in anger and got back up to my feet. It hurt to move, but I didn't pay attention to that. I frowned in concentration and, feeling the power of my Spirit Energy coming to my aid, I gave it my orders, feeling it leaving my body and spreading all around me.I was injured, but oddly neough, I liked this fight a lot. This guy was a real challenge. Now I understood why the others liked to fight so much.

I grinned and concentrated on my task and I could almost feel my flash tattoo on my face shining a bright gold. The Okaninju Plant started shaking. Slowly at first, then it got more violent as I saw the demon having trouble standing upright. I was fine, because my energy was supporting me a foot in the air, being glad that I had it do that, otherwise it would've screwed up my concentration.

I floated backwards, knowing that what I wanted to do required space. The demon was so aghast, he seemed rooted in place. I made it all the way to the very edge of the plant and that was when the plant shook the most; I could hear its roots snapping, but I made it stay upright. I needed it. Then, as I raised my hands up in the air, I could hear roots snapping again, only this time it wasn't from the Okaninju Plant that we were standing on.

It was the right by us. I was using my entire energy by snap it from its bond with the ground and make it come to me. It required more energy than I thought, and I heard myself gasp, almost in relief, when the plant was completely unbound and started floating where I was directing it. Since the plant was coming form behind the demon, he didn't see it coming, until it was too late. I let the Okaninju plant drop directly on top of him. The plant we were standing on collapsed under the weight and they both came stumbling down noisily. It was a terrible and a beautiful sight.

I let my Spirit Energy support me in mid air, but I could feel it increasingly weaker so I made myself land, harder than I wanted to, on the ground, a few dozen feet away from the wreck.

As strong of a demon as he was, I highly doubted that would kill him, but I hoped he would use enough energy to fight it so that he would use most of it, that was my plan. I watched the thick dust that formed all around the two plants like they had an atmosphere of their own for any signs that the demon that he might be coming back, wanting some more. Of course, there was nothing left to give him in case he did, but I had to make sure. I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

I waited for quite a while. I didn't know what to do and I didn't know if he was dead.

"Um," I heard a girl's voice say and as I looked up, I saw a half-human half-rabbit girl standing on a giant eyeball with wings. I knew this was one of the many girls who filmed the fights, and she was supposed to know all the rules. I waited for her to continue. "I think the match is over," she said, but didn't sound certain. Well, no wonder. Because of all the dust and earth that still hung in the air rather heavily, you couldn't see a thing beyond.

I grinned and I was about to walk back to my friends, feeling very proud of myself. _I defeated a few-hundred-year-old demon, a friend of Raizen's_, I kept saying, feeling rather smug. I walked away from the wreck, until—

I felt it, and it was very powerful, a blast possible just like the previous one he manifested. Demon Energy. I growled loudly and I turned around, my hair whipping at my face. I could see it now too. Small red flickers amid all the smoke and dust. Then, jus tas I saw the familiar red flame, broken pieces of wood and rock and earth started flying everywhere.

"Nisoshi is alive, the fight continues!" said the girl and I gritted my teeth, cursing under my breath. It felt like he hardly used up any energy at all.

The demon emerged from the wrekage, with a few cuts and bruises, but that was it. He was grinning still, though he looked a little angry this time though, because once again, the human took him by surprise.

I sighed and I knew what would happen next. And sure enough… _Iris, I think this calls for a change,_ she said. I even had a thought of saying no. This was too much fun, a real challenge. I didn't want it to go to waste and just watch it from the sidelines. Just at that moment, I remember what Yomi said to his son, Shura. _You have to know when you're beaten! Only the weakest fighters move blindly on, believing that the greater the bloodshed, the fiercer the fight._

This time I was forced to accept. I didn't have any energy left. She was an S class demon. It would be down-right stupid to go on.

Just as the familiar whirlwind caught around me and let it envelop me, I saw the demon charging down at us. Looks like he learned his lesson too. I didn't know what to do, so I stopped the change immediately, knowing that it cannot be sped up at all. Just as the wind died down suddenly and all the dust was settling back down, the demon appeared from the midst of all the fog and attacked me with its claws. I dodged it at the very last second, doing a back flip, landing on my palm and pushing my self upright again. I whirled my head around looking for him so see a good time to change, but he kept on attacking me and all I could do was block or dodge, I couldn't change.

_Let me change! _Luna urged me in a strained tone. _You barely have any energy left, you're gonna kill yourself!_

_If we try to change now, it will give him enough time to finish us off. _I tried to reason with her. _Let me go on like this for now and I'll tell you when to change._

_At least let me send Sasha to heal your wounds_, she urged me and I was beginning to be annoyed and desperate.

_There's no time!_ Surely she could see that herself?

Luna didn't answer me, but I knew she was furious. I also knew that she knew that I was right. I just didn't know how long I could go on like this. Being drained of Spirit Energy also meant that you were drained of physical energy too. The demon hardly gave me any time to think, let alone talk to Luna about changing. He continued his stream of punches and kicks and sphere attacks with energy and all I could do was back and front flip in my haste to escape.

He stopped for the briefest moment.

"Do you surrender?" he repeated his question.

I was slightly short of breath, but I kept my stand. "Not…just…yet," I answered between pants, giving him a swift grin from between my messy strands of hair that had fallen on my face.

Then I took my chance. Just as I dodged another sphere-like attack, I plunged ahead at him, taking all my remaining flickers of energy – and some Life Energy, though that should never have been an option – and punched him hard in the gut, letting all my energy go through his body. As he staggered back, I called to Luna, _Now!_

The whirlwind caught me in its hold and this time it didn't seem like I could stop it, even if I wanted to. Luna's desire to change as well as to do her share of the fighting was very great, so I let myself succumb in the back of her mind, just like she is most of the time with me and let her take over. The wind, along with all the dust that it picked up died down and now I knew that Luna was in complete charge.

***

Luna's POV

The demon must've not noticed the change, because he plunged at me once again – or I should say at us, but as he caught sight of me instead of Iris, his eyes turned wide, reflecting shock and disbelief. It was too late to stop the attack and think it through, so he went right along with it, determined.

In one swift motion, I drew my old sword from my trusty scabbard and blocked his attack with ease, though the injuries on our body were worse than I thought. I haven't used this sword in so long, it brought back so many memories… But I didn't think of that. I focused on the demon in front of me, whose face was only a few inches from mine, his slit-like pupils wide.

"Who the hell are you?" The demon hissed in anger and shock. I suppose he didn't like that we switched, he liked fighting Iris too much.

I remained my voice impassive, though I was already angry at this demon for injuring Iris so badly. I knew this was a tournament and all, but that didn't make me forgiving on the matter, I was still angry, regardless of how much Iris enjoyed the fight. I glared right at his golden slits and answered, "My name is of no importance to the person I am about to defeat. I came to end this fight." Surprising me, the demon flicked its tongue at me and it brushed my nose and my lips. My nose wrinkled in disgust and with a quick flicker of my sword, I pushed the demon back and I watched him stumble. He was still in shock as he simply stared at me, not even attempting to attack. I can only guess what was painted on my face, but as angry as I felt, my face was probably on fire from the flash tattoos that had the annoying habit of displaying my feelings.

I wanted this fight over quickly; I didn't want or like to dwell against weaklings. I drew my sword at arms length and held it with both hands, while I let Demon Energy soar all around me, charging my sword with it. While I knew that my spirit sword that Koenma gave me was a lot more effective when charged with energy, I have always preferred my old one better. Koenma's sword was too unfamiliar, foreign. I only resumed to my new sword in special circumstances, and this wasn't one of them.

I saw the familiar red flame envelop me and burn softly, feeling a surge of warmth as it started glowing brighter. I felt power and energy go through my veins and it felt so incredibly good to be in control. I haven't fought in so long, I haven't wielded the wind in so long, haven't wielded a sword even longer… It was so refreshing to feel the air myself go through my lungs, feel the wind against my skin, I grinned despite myself.

Once I thought my sword was completely charged, I repositioned myself in a defensive stance, my sword drawn out. I invoked the element of wind to roam free around me, being at my disposal if I needed it. I was being courteous despite my anger and waited for him to go first, but since he didn't, I took the first step.

Wanting to be quick and be a surprise attack, I made the wind blow a lot harder around him, letting it pick up dust and small pebbles and bits and pieces of the wreckage that Iris caused to circle around him, confusing him. Then, when I decided I would be concealed until the right moment, I charged at him. Going at full speed, I swung the sword at him and aimed it for his throat. He didn't see it coming until it was too late.

The tip of my blade grazed his neck the slightest bit, but it must feel like a mere brush to him. I had complete control of my sword, intending it to stop at that very moment. The demon was stunned and looked utterly paralyzed with fear that he had been less than an inch apart from death. "Do you surrender?" I asked him as I did countless of enemies before, not wanting to hurt him unless it was necessary, although he _did_ deserve the punishment. For the first time, I felt odd asking this question, since he'd asked Iris this already. Twice.

He exhaled sharply because he had been holding his breath until this moment, but all fear and shock left his face at my question. He grinned, and his eyes held a wicked gleam. "Not just yet," he repeated Iris's exact answer, and that angered me more than anything else. The tables have turned. His expression changed again under my eyes as the wicked gleam fled from his slits of eyes just as fast as it came, as it was replaced by fear once again. My face must be really shocking to him, and with my flash tattoos changing constantly to my mood and emotions and thoughts it must be very distracting as well as frightening. My eyes were undoubtedly glowing blood red and half of my face was aflame. To people who haven't seen this before it must come as a real shock.

I stared at him right in the eye, thrusting my blade just a fraction closer to his throat, and I bowed my head slightly, closing my eyes sadly. "Well, then, you leave me no choice." I withdrew my blade and with lightning speed retreated, ran behind him and plunged it directly in his lower-right back. It won't kill him, because that wasn't my intention, but it will injure him enough to not fight anymore. Just to be sure, I let my Demon Energy soar through me, through my sword, and into his body, making the injury less likely to heal very quickly.

_Wow…_ I heard Iris say, _That was awesome! It took me forever to get him injured and you finished him off in just a few minutes._ She sounded awed and I felt compelled to explain myself.

_You drained him of quite a bit of energy. Not to mention that you're relatively new to this. I have been doing it for the last few centuries. _I let out another important detail that I didn't want to mention because I felt like I was being conceited, but she did it for me.

She snorted in my head at the obvious omission. _Yeah, and you're also an _S_ class demon, compared to a low A._ I didn't comment on that.

I drew my sword out and examined the damage. A fairly deep cut that was already bleeding. He would be knocked out soon enough from the loss of blood. With some medical care, he should be fine in a few days to a week.

Blood stained with yet another victorious battle, I put my sword back in my scabbard and looked at the girl who was filming the whole thing.

"He's knocked out," I informed her in case she hasn't figured it out herself.

She was dutiful to her job and counted 10 full seconds. Since the demon didn't get up, she called me the winner of the match.

*****

As I was making my way to the arena, I suddenly realized I haven't changed back yet. I should've done it after the battle was over, but I didn't what to give it all up just yet, I wanted to enjoy just a few more moments of freedom.

Iris must've sensed my reluctance somehow, because she said, _You don't have to change right now. I kind of like it back here, it's oddly peaceful._

I refrained myself from snorting, but I did comment, before I could stop myself. _You wouldn't like it so much if that's where you'd spend most of your time, in the back of somebody's head, not being able to do anything without that person's consent._

Her silence struck me as odd, and I realized I said the wrong thing. My comment probably hurt her, it wasn't exactly a sensible thing to do, since she didn't to it on purpose.

_I didn't know you felt that way…_ she trailed off, sounding guilty.

I sighed heavily and explained. _I'm not complaining. I chose this path, fully aware of _all_ its consequences and results it would have. I embraced it happily that I could make a change. It's not your fault that this is how things are. _I paused the tiniest bit and decided to go on. _But I wouldn't mind having some freedom every now and then, outside of the ring._

She took my hint and brightened up considerably. _Of course!_ She agreed excitedly and I felt a rush of affection toward her.

I made my way back through the huge crowd, feeling oddly pleased with myself. I haven't fought in so long I forgot how incredibly good it felt to win. But I remembered now, and I relished the feeling. I looked for Iris's friends, though I wasn't quite sure if I should go to them, or look for Kurama instead. At least I knew Kurama, the others were total strangers to me – technically – and I was a stranger to them. They didn't know about me until they saw me change on the screen. No doubt, they would be asking me questions. Questions that I might not want to answer. I was just about to go the other way and look for Kurama, when I heard Iris's voice.

_I want to see how they did_, she said and I felt compelled to respect her wish. She had, after all, given her body to me to grant me even a tiny sip of the freedom I long ago had and taken for granted.

I picked out her group easily out of the huge mass of demons because of Chu's familiar blue Mohawk that was towering over most other demons' heads because of his height. Jin saw me first and gave me a very sly grin, not something that I expected.

"Well hello, my pretty," he said in his Irish accent and I rolled my eyes. I thought he was serious about the tournament, and yet, there he was flirting so incredibly _obvious _with me. Iris started laughing. My apparent magnet for demons and men alike was probably highly amusing to her.

"Jin, not you too," Touya sounded bored, but he didn't unphase Jin in the least.

Jin bowed deeply to me, and grinned at me as he did it and I saw two small fangs sticking out, making his grin look even more mischievous. "I am Jin, the win' master," he said, though I already knew who he was. "You wield the win' too, eh? Well, as I a'ways said, win' masters should always stick together," he said and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Onji piped up with perfect timing. "You never said that."

Jin threw him a swift dirty look out of the corner of his eye. "Shut it, nobody bloody asked you."

"I suggest you keep your focus," I said, annoyed and I jutted out my chin toward the screen where the brackets were displayed. Jin was up next against somebody I didn't know.

He looked where I pointed and his grin got wider as he turned back to me. "I'm gonna fight this one for you, my luv," he called out, "I will blow win' so hard it will sweep ya off ya feet, that it will!" And with that he flew to the gate that he had to go through.

Only when did he call out loud to me, did the others turn around to face me. Chu still looked dazed, and I suspected it was a prolonged after-effect to the previous match he had with Natsume. He seemed almost startled by my presence, but recovered quickly and stuck out his hand to shake mine. "Nice fight, mate," he said and he grinned. I was glad he behaved normal at least, and just for that alone, I tried not to cringe at the smell of alcohol that he emanated.

Touya continued to regard me curiously as he did when he saw me earlier. He didn't say a single word to me. Onji gave me a superior look, but I didn't let it bother me. He thought he was superiors to everyone. Rinku was nowhere to be seen, but I assumed he was after the cat-girl that had flirted with him earlier. Shishi on the other hand, looked his normal smug self, but surprised me by flashing me a small smile.

He took my hand too and I groaned inwardly and yet _another_ one. He kissed the back of my hand very gently and looked up at me with his pretty lavender eyes. "My lady, don't give him a second thought, he doesn't know how to treat a woman of your caliber," he said and scoffed in Jin's direction.

I had just about enough of this. I jerked my hand away from his gentle grip and I glared at him. "And _you_ do?" I said as sarcastically as I could. His eyes held a rather disturbing gleam as if he would gladly demonstrate how a woman is rightfully treated, but then composed himself into his usual smug look.

I didn't wait for him to reply to my statement because I walked off, fuming and thoroughly annoyed. Iris was still laughing silently in my head, but I knew she was keeping most of it in, not wanting to annoy me even more. I took a few steps before Touya's voice made me stop in my tracks.

"Where is Iris?" he asked, but I could hear the demanding note in his tone.

I turned around and focused my gaze only on his icy-blue one as I answered. "She's safe. She's resting right now," and I placed my fist over my heart, hoping he'll take the hint, and kept on walking.

I walked toward where I knew was Kurama in the audience and sat myself roughly on the chair, crossing my legs and folding my hands to my chest firmly. His green eyes found me immediately, though they betrayed nothing. He had always been very reserved around me, as if he could sense that I could see deeper into even the slightest flicker of emotion of his face.

Kurama studied me closely, as he has always done and looked over my injuries. As I saw him do it, I instinctively looked at myself too and was surprised to see there was so much blood. I had numerous deep cuts and gashes that I haven't even been aware about and most of the wounds were dried off. It was a rather disgusting and disturbing sight, with blood all dried off on my skin and to my clothes, not to mention that I was extremely dirty all over. I wiped my brow with the back of my hand and when I looked at it I saw sweat mixed with earth and a little bit of blood. I had to get cleaned up before any of this got infected.

I looked away from the gory sight and looked back at Kurama.

"I watched the entire fight," he said, though I already knew that. It was Iris who fought most of the time, after all. Of course he watched.

"We got out victorious," I said, giving my share of useless information.

"At a great cost," Kurama noted, his emerald eyes running over my many wounds and my blood-stained clothes.

"Iris is fine," I reassured him, knowing that was what he was after.

"You should've changed earlier," his tone didn't sound accusing, but his eyes and the way his brows furrowed the tiniest bit indicated that he was.

"I wanted to. I _intended_ to, but Iris didn't, so there was nothing I could do." A rare display of confusion flickered across his face as his lips parted the slightest bit and he scowled. "We cannot change as long as we both don't agree upon the decision," I explained, "She thought she could take him by herself." I didn't even mention the fact that she started enjoying it, but even so, as I said it, I realized I put Iris in a bad light. I could almost picture her in my head scowling at me. "She put up a good fight though and she weakened the demon considerably."

"She's so stubborn," Kurama mumbled under his breath. "Is she all right though?"

"She is fine," I repeated, "and will be better once I heal her. Which reminds me…" I trailed off, feeling this would be a good time to do it, since we wouldn't be fighting for a while. I had more than enough time to heal her wounds.

I called upon Sasha and a faint outline of my guardian formed in mid air until her entire body was outlined and she settled herself on all four paws on the ground. She stepped close to me and sniffed the hand that I extended toward her. I patted her head gently and she leaned onto my head willingly. Almost immediately, I could feel the familiar warmth of her healing powers and I sighed happily.

"She looks familiar," I heard Kurama say, and when I turned to look at him I saw his green eyes were fixed on Sasha, a smile on his lips. He shifted his weight toward her and with deliberate slowness, extended his hand toward her, stopping a few inches from her head. "May I?" he asked. I didn't answer, because I knew very well that Sasha could "talk" for herself.

Her reply was by stretching out her neck so she could reach his hand. Kurama dropped it on her head willingly and patted her. Sasha was obviously enjoying the attention.

As I patted her absentmindedly, my fingers brushed Kurama's a few times, but I didn't pay attention. I was watching the big screen instead, and Jin was fighting. He wasn't doing too well though…he was on the ground, seemingly knocked out, but he got right back up again, though he had bruises all over his body. Although I didn't watch it, I knew his opponent had gone easy on him. He wasn't badly injured, but the demon gave him an enough dose of his energy to make it hard for him to come back up. Even so, Jin got up with a determined look on his face.

The fight would be over soon, I could tell. Jin, though determined and stubborn, was at wits ends.

I looked away from the screen and watched Sasha for a few moments, her face displaying pleasure, gladly accepting the two people who were pampering her, having her eyes closed as if doing so would make the feeling even better. I looked at my arm briefly, and I saw that my wound was starting to decrease in size as Sasha's healing powers took effect.

When I looked at the screen again, I saw that the demon took Jin over his shoulder and left the Okaninju plant with him. The fight was over and Jin lost. Despite that, I really liked the feeling of comradeship between the two of them as the demon took him away back to his friends, even though he lost and there was no need for him to.

Somebody very wise once told me that one had to be very strong to feel compassion and be fair to somebody weaker than you, to somebody who lost to you. I had little doubt that that person was another one of Raizen's friends.

Seeing his friends fight made me feel deep respect for Raizen, who was, after all, a demon whom I had never met in my life. But people – well, demons in this case – who are alike, usually stick together, and his friends told me a lot about Raizen himself.


	2. Second Round

**Disclaimer**: Do i even have to mention again that i don't own the Yu Yu Hakusho characters or bits and pieces of this plot? ...I thought so.

* * *

Luna's POV

I sat there with Kurama, not trusting myself to go back to Iris's friends, though I've somehow grown to think of them as such myself. They had a higher stand in my mind as I watched them through her eyes, being their normal selves, excited and determined for a new fight, friendly and encouraging toward Iris as she sometimes struggled to come up to their level, as opposed to how they acted when they saw _me_. I went against Iris's protests of wanting to go back as see if they were all right, trying to avoid embarrassing situations at all costs. Therefore, we settled for watching the current matches on the big screen from the audience's view.

All in all, it was slightly tedious, especially having to wait for my turn again. I was very eager to fight again, maybe a little overly eager. It's been too long, and my fingers were almost aching to grab the handle of my sword and challenge one of these demons to a duel. That was, especially when they would holler and boo and scream at the top of their lungs to kill the opponent, when that opponent was one of our friends.

Sasha must've noticed the tension and annoyance growing in my body, because she changed the feel of the atmosphere and I gradually relaxed. I continued to pet her head absentmindedly, silently thanking her for reining me in.

Every now and then, I would look at Kurama from the corner of my eye, to give Iris that satisfaction, knowing she'd do the same if she were present.

As I gave him a sideways look, I studied his profile closely, letting myself drift on my own thoughts. His fiery red hair has grown a little more since the last time we met face to face. His green eyes had a glint of anxiousness under his slightly furrowed eyebrows. His body would seem relaxed, but I could see that his jaw was tight, and there seemed to be a certain tension that his body emanated. Was it for the next fight, was it at the prospect of going against Yomi, possibly fighting against him or was it simple worry for his friends' safety?

I frowned, almost annoyed with myself that I couldn't get any more answers from him.

It was a lot harder for me to read his profile image as opposed to seeing his entire face. Not to mention that he was a lot more reserved around me. As far as I could tell, he seemed the most open and relaxed when he was with Iris, though even then there were some things that he kept from her eyes, and I could see them. Other then that, when he was with the rest of the team, I could only see flickers of what he revealed Iris and I wondered why that is.

Kurama only knew Iris for three years. He has known the team for a lot more than that. Why Iris? Was it because she genuinely tried to understand him and question why he did certain things? Was it because of their relationship, because of his feelings for her? I didn't know, but I certainly noticed this for a while now.

I haven't shared this with her, however. I don't know what she would say to that, but I know she would be doubtful and say he acts completely normal.

She was so innocent, her heart so pure and untouched by world's cruelties, that I sometimes felt afraid for her if her relationship would end badly. I would even go far enough to say that she loved him, though she never thought the words, let alone say them out loud. And neither did he, if his feelings were even close to hers.

I tried to banish that thought. What did I even dwell on it in the first place? I trusted Kurama, and grown to know him well enough to know that he is a loyal and committed person. When he looked at Iris, I saw something similar to what I would see when I looked into Edward's eyes. Something special and very powerful.

Edward's eyes… A flicker of his dark brown eyes with their usual amused gleam flashed in my mind and the unexpected image made me gasp despite myself.

It's been so long since I had a little more than a few moments of my own in control of this body, along with free time, that I completely forgot the side-effects of it. My breathing grew heavier as I tried unsuccessfully to regain control. Edward. More than four hundred years have passed, and I was still stricken with grief at the mere thought of him.

"Luna?" Kurama's normal serene voice sounded worried and when I looked at him, his eyes reflecting the same thing. "What's wrong?"

That was when I realized I was shaking slightly.

I gritted my teeth and scowled, feeling angry with myself that I lost my grip on my feelings so easily. I closed my eyes briefly and forced the shaking to stop and it did. "Nothing," I told him, "I'm fine." I opened my eyes only when I was looking away at the screen, so he wouldn't be able to look in my eyes and see just how _not_ fine I was.

I banished all thoughts of those dark brown eyes forcefully. I would never forget you, I vowed toward the sky. I just can't bear to loose control. I shook my head in disgust. Four hundred years of self-teaching and training and a mere image can crumple all that within moments.

I tried to find a distraction, anything to make me forget or not think about it.

_How are you holding on in there?_ I asked Iris rather uncertainly, feeling guilty that my selfishness was part of the reason why we haven't changed yet.

_Really tight!_ She said, and I heard her chuckle. _Believe it or not, it's a real relief to be able to just…take a break and let somebody else take over for a while._

I remained silent, not wanting to give my own opinion on the matter because she already knew how I felt about it. No need to complain. Iris almost seemed as if she was expecting a comment or me to say something at all, but when I didn't, she went on.

_We should do this more often. There's an odd sense of peacefulness I always get when I'm here_. Her voice sounded oddly far-away, and I could almost picture her staring off into space.

_I will gladly accept your offer_, I said and grinned widely, feeling my mood improve already. Iris just had that sort of power, to brighten people's spirits with just her presence and I felt a wave of pride, knowing that my blood flowed in her veins, that we were related.

I was hardly even aware of Kurama sitting right by me anymore, but I heard a distinct shuffling sound and when I turned he was looking at me, watching me intently. A smile was playing at the corner of his lips, all signs of previous worry gone.

"Good news?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow at me.

My eyes widened involuntarily in surprise and shock as I stared at him, feeling utterly dumbfounded for one of the few times that I can remember. "How did you know?" I didn't know if I should feel awed at his intuitional skills or angry at myself for not being more on my guard with my emotions, though I could hardly control how I _feel_, and that was exactly what the flash tattoos displayed.

"Your tattoo," he said, and traced the design in mid air with his index finger, his green eyes never leaving mine.

"You figured out what each means?" I asked, amazed.

His smile remained in place, and his eyes seemed to be tracing my new tattoo. "I make well thought-out guesses. Saying that I figured out what each means would be a lie." He broke the bond of our gazes and looked at the screen for few seconds, his face hardening slightly then turned back to me. "It was the colors, and how the swirled from the corner of your eye that made me thing of joy, happiness, maybe even excitement."

I nodded, feeling at a loss of words. I was left in my thoughts, pondering, until—

"So, what did she say?" Kurama asked, after a short while.

"Iris said that she likes it when we change and that we should do it more often. Which means that I'll get more time to spend it however I desire," I smiled, feeling pure happiness that I somehow lost the feel of after such a long time.

"I take it that it's not a very desirable place to be, a mere voice in the back of somebody's head," he inquired, urging me to elaborate what I said, without actually mouthing the words.

I looked away from his eyes and to the screen, watching, but not actually taking anything in from the images. "I like freedom and the mobility that comes with that freedom. Being a mere voice in the back of somebody's head, as you put it, disables both and I feel handicapped."

"What does Iris think?" he asked me.

I was torn between a grimace and a smile. "She thinks it's peaceful and that it's nice to take a break and let somebody else in charge for a change."

He chuckled, his eyes displaying longing. I felt a wave of affection toward him as he obviously missed her, although she's only been gone for a little while. "That sounds like something she would say."

Kurama remained silent and thoughtful after that. I tried to focus on the screen again, but since it wasn't anybody I knew I didn't pay much attention. Even with the thought of studying their fighting styles and attacks, I decided against it. I knew there was no way I could remember so much information. There were 64 fighters who were going forward in the second round.

Still, I had to wait until all the First Round demons got their turn until the Second Round started. I looked at screen again, and this time I really focused on it, trying to figure out what was going on. The fight they showed there between two demons I didn't know was over now as only one of them emerged victorious.

Then as the announcer's voice rang out the name of the winner, she announced the demon's names for the next fight. "The fight is between Kurama and Shigure. The fighters need to present themselves at the arena floor."

*****

The next hour or so – or at least I think that's how long it's been, but I can hardly give a concrete time – I watched the screen so closely that at one point Sasha nudged my palm that was in mid air right above her head. That was when I realized I was at the very edge of my seat. I saw things in that hour, or that period of time I didn't think I would ever see. Kurama summoned a cherry blossom tree that was as beautiful as it was enormous and succeeded in defeating Shigure, though at a great price.

I hurried to that place, the light outline of my guardian, Sasha, following me closely behind, running at full speed and passing Yusuke, Chu, Jin and the others, but by the time I arrived, somebody already helped him up. It was Yomi. Kurama was conscious, but he was leaning on Yomi for support. Then I saw the former king of Ganderra let Kurama go, step a few feet ahead, exchange a few words with Kurama, then left.

That was our cue as the others and I hurried to Kurama's side. Me and Yusuke helped him to the infirmary, but he refused to go inside, being adamant about seeing Hiei fight. I didn't even realize Hiei was up until he mentioned it. Therefore, I took him by myself to our previous seats in the audience – that were still empty – and let Sasha heal his wounds.

That was when I realized I was completely healed myself, and I silently thanked her for taking care of me, as she did so many times before.

Kurama and I hardly exchanged any words at all as we both watched Hiei's match against Mukuro. That was probably one of the most interesting fights I have ever witnessed. I would go far enough to say that their fight was like a game of chess between two people who could read each other's mind. They would talk, they would taunt each other, they would attack. Sometimes they would hold back.

It was very hard to understand what was going on, especially with the volume not on. I tried to look closer, deeper into their eyes, and see what was going on between them, but they both displayed the same unreadable mask and unfathomable eyes. But beyond that I saw flickers of different emotions when they were fighting. Disappointment. Anger. Sadness. Sometimes even pain. But most of all, acceptance and understanding. It was interesting how very much alike they were, and therefore they understood each other very well.

And again, when I thought I had my share of surprises for the day, I saw the most unbelievable thing. For the first time ever, the Dragon of the Darkness Flame was repealed. That made me respect Mukuro even more, having defeated a legendary unbeatable attack.

"Incredible," the word came out of my lips before I could stop it, though it was true.

The match ended soon after that, with nothing more than an embrace between the two. I was left open-mouthed and wide-eyed and the clear display of…should I say it? Affection? Yes, there was definitely some affection there. Not only in Hiei's attacks, that were clearly not intended to kill, but in Mukuro's as well, as she was more in the defense, though I heard from many demons that she was a cold, ruthless killer.

I felt a short, brief pang of jealousy that I had no idea where it came from. I shoved the feeling away and thought about something else.

It was incredible, but such displays always remind me of my mission on Earth. If an a person who was abandoned since he was a baby and a person known as a vicious killer, both of them hadn't known anything else save for violence and blood and revenge can grow to care again for somebody, then there was still hope. I was sure of it. That thought made me feel…revived, more alive and more focused.

I'm sorry to say that sometimes as I watched how the world turned out, I would grow weary and loose some of my hope. So much thirst for violence and destruction and chaos it was almost unbearable. Sometimes it would be too much and I would grow to hate it all and wonder what was the use. What could one more person do? But then I try to remember my former lives, to get myself back on track. I would remember the good that I did, the good that I witnessed and the many things that could be done.

And my mission didn't revolve solely to Human World, though that was where I spent most of my former lives. In this case though, if I could do my part to prevent the wrong person to become the king of Demon World, my work here was done.

"And that concludes our first round of the tournament," the announcer's voice cut through my reverie, but I succumbed once again in my thoughts as soon as she was done. This seemed to happen a lot when I had free time on my hands and I didn't like it. I didn't like to dwell on the past. What I wanted know is to know who I would be fighting next and when.

*****

I didn't have to wait long after that. Like they did in the Preliminaries, there were several fights going on at the same time; all the Okaninju plants were occupied by pairs of demons fighting. My turn didn't come until later, and I had almost begun to be restless in my seat, shifting my position every so often. Sasha sensed my increasing distress, but somehow not even she could rein in my emotions at this time. Nothing would make me feel better now than a good fight, especially that I was positive that by now, whoever I would go against, he or she would be extremely powerful, A or S class.

Then—

"Yara is next, fighting again Luna," the announcer said and it took quite a bit of self-control not to jump off my chair, but to get to my feet casually. I was ready. And with Sasha's regenerative powers, I regained what little Demon Energy I lost also. I smiled to myself and looked at Kurama, whose green eyes were watching me warily.

"I take it that all your wounds are healed," he said.

I looked myself over for the first time since I summoned Sasha. Though my clothes were ripped, with holes where there used to be cuts and gashes, and blood was smeared all over, my skin was it's normal, pale self, without a single sign of the previous battle. I nodded at the worrisome red-head.

"Good luck," he called at me as I started descending the stairs. I waved at him, not looking back to meet those green eyes again. I walked swiftly and determined to the tunnel that would lead to the corresponding plant where I would be against Yara. I could barely contain my grin as I eventually got to the arena on top of the plant, as I was faced with the demon.

The demon watched me carefully, though I wasn't sure that was because he saw my previous fight or because I was unfamiliar to him. He was the size of a small giant, more than three feet taller than I was and had a Mohawk of jet-black hair that extended from the top of his head to his lower back, where it seemed to turn into a tail. His big pupils that obscured the irises completely were following my every move.

I regarded him cautiously, not knowing what to expect. I was being careful and wary, but excited and expectant at the same time. All this must be played across my face as different emotions took over. This demon, Yara, didn't seem to be phased by my flash tattoos, and if he was, he didn't show it. And he was too far away for me to be able to read his expression.

"Begin!" the demon on the floating eyeball/camera said and we both automatically tensed.

The fight was on.

I thought I was ready for anything, but I was wrong. One moment we were on opposite sides of the arena, the next moment as I blinked, he was right in front of me preparing to deliver a punch to the jaw. I barely dodged it, as his punch was enveloped in my hair for the shortest moment until I jumped back, drew my sword and took my position. When his fist was closer than an inch from my face I saw that on his right hand was a very heavy material, something similar to chain-mail. I looked to see if his other hand had the Cestus, but it didn't.

Yara studied me closely, his expression unreadable. Then, keeping his gaze fixed with mine, he raised both his hands in the air, as if calling for something. Right before my eyes, the outline of two long bladed daggers with a jet-black hilt appeared and materialized in his hands. I didn't see myself at a disadvantage, even if I was outnumbered in weapons. My sword had a longer range, and he can't defend himself with just one dagger, he'd have to use both. Which meant that he wouldn't have any empty hands to attack me with.

I grinned and plunged at an attack, catalyzing my sword with my Demon Energy so that the attack would be more powerful when I will deliver it. He blocked with a criss-cross of his two daggers, and when he retrieved them, the sound of blades clashing screeched through the thick silence. I stepped back the slightest bit and studied him again, meeting the same unreadable eyes.

Then he disappeared. My eyes widened and my hair whipped around my face frantically as I tried to find him before he found me. I stayed in the same position, slightly crouched with my sword drawn out for the longest time, concentrating on my other senses rather than sight; he was too fast for me too see. Signals of alarm went through my entire body as I sensed his presence coming from my right. Just as I wielded my sword to block his possible attack, it never came. Instead, I saw way too late that he changed his mind at the very last moment and turned around and went to strike on my unprotected left.

I tried to keep him away from getting too close to me by delivering a kick to the jaw, but that merely grazed his check as I got the full blow of his attack instead. I did two back flips to put some distance between us, though I knew that as fast as he was, it didn't really matter the distance. I didn't dare take my eyes off of him to inspect the damage, in case he would disappear again and pull another stunt like that, but I felt two sharp stings on my upper arm and lower thigh, no doubt due to my unsuccessful kick.

I gritted my teeth in anger. He was very fast, possibly even faster than I was. Possibly. _We'll see_, I thought as I ran at full speed and plunged into an attack myself, going on offensive. He blocked it again, but instead of forcing my blade against both of his, I retreated it, swirled it in my hand for a different grip on it for my attack. At the same time, I ducked against one of his blows, snaked around him to the side, and before he could realize what I've done, I stabbed him on the side.

I heard him gasp – the first sound of emotion he's displayed since the beginning of our match – and did a few more back flips to see how he was coping with the damage. There was a deep gash there, but it wasn't anywhere near fatal, and I knew this wasn't going to end the match. That's why I haven't asked him to surrender.

Because I already knew his answer.

Yara touched his wound with two fingers and withdrew them covered in blood. Then he drew it to his mouth and licked his fingers clean. I wasn't surprised or shocked at all at such display for I have seen many people and demons alike do that, but it still disgusted me. Probably sensing my dislike, he looked me in the eye, gave his fingers one last lick and then grinned in a rather disturbing way, revealing a set of pointy yellow teeth.

I looked away and decided I was tired of games. This match was already taking longer than I would've liked it to. I decided to go for my favorite trick. I summoned the element of wind to do my bidding and made it envelop the demon in a sphere of dust and earth, obscuring him from view. But then, I saw a small puff of smoke on the side, as if… As if the demon just plunged through the sphere and the smoke was all that he left behind.

I cursed under my breath and let the wind die down. It wasn't any use for me now that he knew what I was going to do. I looked around frantically, trying to sense him again. Then I tried something else. Just as I sensed him coming at me, I jumped high in the air, flipped over then attacked at his bare and exposed back. Yara must've felt me behind him because just as my sword grazed his back, bringing blood from a thin cut, he whirled around, brushed my blade aside with his chain-mailed fist and used his left hand to deliver a direct attack for my neck.

I bent my neck backwards at the very last minute, but it wasn't enough. His attack was very precise, and I felt a thin line that went up my chin. It stung, but it was a lot better than being dead.

I glared at him, taking my previous crouching position as he did the same. Then we both plunged at each other at the exact same moment. The fight continued like this, feeling more like a game of cat and mouse, hide and seek than a fight, for who knows how long.

We were both panting slightly after a while, and I knew I had to change my strategy. I barely inflicted any damage on him as he did on me. We both had minor injuries like small cuts from possibly dangerous attacks. We both hardly used up any Demon energy at all, but we were using up physical energy.

I had an idea. Leaving quite a bit of space between us, I placed my old sword back in my scabbard, feeling an odd sense of separation as I did.

I only called upon this weapon when it was completely necessary, and the way this fight was going, I knew that the time has come for me to use King Yama's gift again. I kept my eyes on the demon in front of me as I concentrated on its image, feeling a sudden sense of insecurity. Yara wasn't moving at all. Was he waiting to see what I will do? He must be either very confident in his strengths if he could just stand and watch his opponent arming himself or he is being courteous as to not attack while the opponent was unarmed.

Whatever his reasons, he gave me the time to concentrate that I needed. As the image of my sword was clear in my mind, I extended my arm in front of me and a blinding red light appeared for a brief few seconds, as my Demon Energy was sculpting the sword out of energy alone. As the light disappeared, it left behind a glorious sword with a long, thin red blade and thick handle, perfect for gripping. The sword was still glowing, and the metal seemed to be alight as I let my energy run through it, charging it, making it more powerful.

I knew that charging this sword was nothing like charging my old one. This sword was made specifically for me to load it with energy. I've only used it few times in my four-hundred-year-old life, but it never failed me once.

As I did this, I watched the demon, who was using his time wisely to summon his energy also. I huge flame enveloped his body as its flames were mingling confidently with the air. I grinned, knowing the fight will be over soon if we've gotten at this point.

I didn't even try to attack with this sword as I did with my old one. I had other plans, something that only this sword could fulfill. I gripped it with both my hands and pointed it upward. Feeling the rush of power that Demon Energy gave me as it surged through me, I summoned my element of wind, once again, and united it with the power of my sword. Suddenly, from the very tip of the sharp blade, thin wisps of winds were twirling upward as they quickly increased in speed and force, blowing my hair away from my face.

I took my chance now, as the wind wasn't very powerful, to ask him the most important question and the only one I've exchanged between us. "Do you surrender?" His confident, lopsided grin was answer enough for me, without the word "no" uttered from his mouth.

That was your last chance, I thought.

And with that, I forced my element to reveal its true power, as every single particle of debris and dust whipped around me, making a protective shield against anything beyond. Soon enough a full-fledged tornado was formed for the mere tip of my blade. The clouds were swirling, embracing the top as the tornado went higher through the clouds until reaching oblivion.

Such immense power I don't think I ever felt or ever unleashed on anybody until then. It felt strange, foreign to me – this was a whole new level of power, something higher than I've ever reached before. It was unknown, yet familiar at the same time, as if discovering a possession you've had all along, but never searched deep enough. I felt a tingling sensation on my forehead, as well as my wrists and ankles, but I didn't dwell on it at all. I was glorying in my new power, feeling utterly undefeatable.

I slashed by blade in the air to release the tornado from it's binding with my sword as it roamed free, advancing with an extraordinary speed toward Yara. He caught on to what I did too late, as he tried to run, but the wind was faster. The tornado caught him in its grip and the demon disappeared from view, now being in the very center of a very strong and powerful whirlwind that not even his Demon Energy could save him from.

He tried his best though, as I could see the outside formation mingled with the familiar red flames from his energy. Small electrical shocks could be seen within as his energy clashed with mine that controlled the storm, even though now it was its own entity. A flash lightning appeared from the very top, giving the scenery an evil glow.

I simply stood there, watching mesmerized by the sight. As the seconds passed, the tornado seemed to be changing its shape. At first I thought the wind was dying down because I was running low on energy, but that wasn't the case; it didn't need Demon Energy to keep it going anymore. Not only that, but the very top and bottom were both withdrawing slowly, though the wind kept its incredible speed. Soon enough, what used to be a tornado was now a shape closer to a sphere, keeping Yara trapped inside, unable to escape.

The sphere started decreasing in size, no doubt crushing Yara in its clutches, until it disappeared, leaving absolutely no trace of what happened except for the wind that kept blowing around me until it died down completely.

Yara was nowhere in sight. The sheer force of the tornado obliterated him into nothingness.

I looked sharply at the camera-girl, waiting for the verdict. She looked around her rather uncertainly, making sure that there was really no trace of Yara, and declared me the winner of the match.

I allowed myself to show a triumphant grin as I started walking back toward the arenas.

*****

From then on, it all went downhill with all my teammates including myself. Most of our friends didn't make it past the first round, Kurama and I being the only ones that made it to the second. Kurama used up most of his Demon Energy when he fought Shigure – not even Sasha's healing powers could restore the energy that was lost, and he was called not long after I was, which didn't give him much time to regenerate. Kurama lost in the second round.

I made it through the second and was waiting my turn to go on to the third, but like Kurama, I used up most of my energy. I put up a good fight against another of Raizen's friends, but I eventually had to give in because I was tired as well as powerless against him.

But that didn't really bother me; I did my fair share of fighting, and from then on I could only hope that whoever will win will be a good guy. What was bothering me was that everybody I knew kept giving me weird glances and stared at my face a lot, more than usual. Even Kurama, I frequently caught him looking at me, scowling, as if there was something wrong.

I really didn't want to yell at him or the others, but if they kept this up, I was going to eventually. Finally, Kurama brought up the subject as we were going to the infirmary to see Yusuke – since none of us were fighting anymore, that's where all of our companions have gathered.

"Luna, what happened during your fight with Yara?" he asked me, his green eyes following me from the corner of his eye.

"What do you mean, what happened? I defeated him," I answered, somewhat taken aback. "You saw me. Why?" I shot at him more sternly than I intended to.

Kurama didn't answer my question, but his eyes shifted straight ahead under his still-furrowed brows. When we got in the infirmary, instead of going to Yusuke, he went toward where would be the waiting room and took me to a mirror.

I didn't gasp, but I inhaled sharply in shock. As if I didn't have enough on my face already…

On my forehead was a black intricate set of swirls in a rather unique design that stretched from one temple to the other in length and from right above my eyebrows to my hairline in height. I touched it with my index finger gingerly, frowning deeply at my reflection. Where did this come form?

I continued to stare at myself in wonder and puzzlement, until I felt something touch my wrist. It was Kurama, who very gently held my hand in his, bringing it up for my inspection. There an identical design on it too, the very center on the inside of my wrist, as well as on my other one.

Then I remembered the tingling sensation I had on my forehead…as well as on my wrists and ankles. I looked down, and there it was, on both my ankles, the exact same design. I had no idea what this could mean, but I made a note of asking Koenma about it as soon as I saw him.

****

By the time the former Spirit Detective woke up, the Demon World Tournament was over, and the king has been proclaimed. I was relieved to find out that he was also one of Raizen's good friends and was going to follow Yusuke's word to make another tournament in the next three years to decide the next king.

When Yusuke woke up, we – that is, me, Kurama, Chu, Jin, Rinku, Onji, Touya and Shishi – were all crowded around his bed, waiting expectantly for him to rise. Of course, he shot a dozen questions at us before we could get him to calm down. He was shocked to hear that the tournament's been over by a few days already and that he'd been out cold the whole time. He was even angrier that none of us thought about waking him.

Yusuke sighed heavily, his expression a mixture of resignation and annoyance and he studied each and every one of us in turn. When he got to me, his expression changed as he scowled at me and his eyes widened.

"What the hell happened to your face?" he bellowed at me as if this was my fault. I gave him a look, and said, in the most sarcastic tone that I could muster, "Well, I thought that I don't have enough tattoos on my face, so I got another one. And look," I shoved my wrist in his face, "It's on my wrists too, along with my ankles." I fumed angrily.

"We don't know what happened," Kurama cut in before Yusuke could comment, "It—"

Right then, with remarkable timing, Koenma appeared quite literally out of nowhere. His brown eyes shifted between all nine of us. "What?" he asked uncomfortably, because all nine pairs of eyes were on him.

"Oh, nothing, Pacifier-junkie, we were just wondering what was with Luna's addition to her face-paintings," Yusuke said, gesturing toward my face rather unnecessarily.

Koenma stepped forward until he was right in front of me, studying my tattoo closely. Then I was surprised to see that he smiled. "I see you've finally discovered how to cross the barrier," he said.

We all looked at him like he just spoke another language. "Barrier?" Touya murmured, seemingly genuinely interested.

"Luna is at a whole new level of power now," Koenma declared proudly. "I watched your fight," he said to me, "What you did must've been the catalyzer, because to create something so…involved required a lot of Demon Energy. Without realizing, you called upon some powers within you that you didn't know you had. That's what those tattoos symbolize."

"How do you know?" Yusuke challenged, but he seemed impressed at the prospect.

"My father, King Enma told me." Koenma answered, his brown eyes fixed on Yusuke. "He gave Luna these powers 400 years ago when she agreed to work for Spirit World first time. He also told me that he stored extra energy deep within her, so that it she won't summon it unintentionally when it wasn't necessary. That was placed in cases of emergency."

Koenma turned to me again. "It's a symbol of power and it is deeply respected in Spirit World and Demon World alike because there is a very select few even in the S class that have it. I think it might even enable you to train for Sacred Energy, and it will take substantially less time."

"Good thing she's on our side," Yusuke laughed and we all joined in, me included.

While the conversations tuned to something a lot more casual, I unintentionally drifted into my own thoughts. Sacred Energy. I could train for Sacred Energy, and Koenma said it will take substantially less time. It was very tempting, Sacred Energy it was the most powerful kind of energy there was. There wouldn't be anybody that I couldn't defeat then. I would be invincible.

I shook my head and tried to reason with myself. I was already very strong, even for a demon. Did I really want to train for Sacred Energy when I knew perfectly well that I was more than strong enough already? Would I really be so…_vain _to go for something higher and unnecessary just because it's the best?

_It will give you immense power_, Iris said, clearly thinking that I should at least consider the option.

I thought for only a few seconds on my final decision. Then I said, _Power corrupts even the strongest of us._


End file.
